


Haute Guerre Volante

by Snugglebuttkitten



Series: AU August [6]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Circus, Alternate Universe - Siblings, Basically Ladrien, But oh well?, I don't even like Ladrien usually, Rivalry AU, modern day romeo and juliet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 13:49:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15730680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: Le Cirque de Miraculeux is well-known for being the most creative and (one of) the most elusive circus in all of Europe. Run by an elderly gentleman known simply as Master Fu, it boasts some of the most incredible talents in performer history including the Lucky Ladybug Sisters, one of the best high-flying trapeze acts to ever grace the stage. Or the air above it.Le Cirque de Papillon is an equally well-known Circus run by the mysterious Hawkmoth. What Papillon lacks in creativity, they more than make up for in finesse. The people of Papillon are some of the most well-trained performers in the world and it shows. Their most well-known act, however, is the Amazing Chat Noir, an acrobatic magic act that defies the very logic of gravity.When these two rival circuses find themselves in Paris at the same time, they decide the only proper thing to do is battle it out to see who really is the best circus and the winner gets the best venues for the rest of the season. But what happens when their two stars meet and fall in love, and begin thinking about a life away from the Circus?





	Haute Guerre Volante

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so after this I have one or two more AUs planned for AU August and then I think I'm done and can just focus on the ones I have out but in all honesty, we'll see. I'm really just indulging myself with these at this point. Like I said, none of these will be finished before the end of August. Most of them are slated to be short stories but depending on where my muse takes me (and how much people want me to), I could end up turning some or all of these into full-blown fics. So this one will cover Days 18 (Circus), 9 (Summer Camp), 21 (Childhood Friends) and you guessed it, 4 (Enemies). Sort of. This is kind of like a modern day, Romeo and Juliet story xD
> 
> Btw, characters are in their mid-twenties in this AU

**_18 Years Ago_ **

“We’re here! We’re here, we’re here, we’re finally here!” Marinette Dupain-Cheng shrilled, midnight pigtails bobbing excitedly as she glued herself to the backseat window. The family car rolled past the sign that proclaimed their official arrival at  _ Camp de Cirque _ , pulling up before the main cabin before stopping completely. The little raven-haired child was out of the car like a shot, bouncing around the packed dirt of the parking lot and taking everything in with saucer-like blue eyes. After all, it was her first time attending Camp de Cirque. Her older sister, Bridgette, had been attending the camp for five whole years now ever since she had turned five. Marinette was supposed to have started two years ago when she was five as well, but she had been really sick for a while and couldn’t attend. Now, she was all better though and ready to experience all the amazing things her sister had told her about the past few years.

The older Dupain-Cheng girl slipped out of the car at a much more sedate pace. After all, she was ten years old and practically grown. It wouldn’t do to act as childish and excitable as her seven-year-old sister… even if being back at camp sent a thrill of excitement racing down her spine. Bridgette, being the responsible older sibling, assisted her parents in pulling their bags out of the trunk while Marinette dashed back and forth across the lot, taking in everything she possibly could. It didn’t take long to unload the bags and Bridgette called out to her sister as they headed up the front steps of the Main Cabin, which she knew housed the Camp Office and the Infirmary. The younger girl quickly scampered over to join them, positively vibrating with excitement, and they soon entered the air-conditioned building.

The cool air was a welcome reprieve from the summer heat outside. Bridgette, having been here several times before, took the lead and headed straight for the reception desk where a scrawny man in his mid-twenties sat, purple hair carefully combed into submission. His pale violet-blue eyes warmed with recognition as he spotted her and the young girl grinned as she came to a halt before his desk. “Hi, M. Nooroo. We’re here to check in and get our cabin assignments,” Bridgette said by way of greeting.

“Hello, Bridgette. So nice of you to come back for another summer. And I see you’ve finally brought your little sister with you. Marinette, was it?” Nooroo spoke in a soft, subdued voice but his smile was warm and gentle when his gaze flicked from Bridgette to Marinette. The younger Dupain-Cheng child gave a shy smile and shrank back, clinging to the folds of her father’s pants.

“She’s a little nervous about starting camp,” Tom Dupain, the girl’s father, explained with an apologetic smile. His massive hand dropped down to settle atop the child’s pigtailed head and when she glanced up, he had a warm smile across his face. Nooroo nodded in understanding.

“Well, Mlle. Marinette, a lot of our younger campers are pretty nervous to be starting camp as well. Most of our campers are here from the time they’re five, so most everyone knows everyone in your age group. However,” he adds when the child’s shoulders droop, “we do have one other child starting this year who will be in your age group.”

“Really?” The younger girl whispered, hope shining in her blue eyes. Nooroo nodded with a kind smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eye. He understood the need to fit in all too well, after all.

“Tell you what, Mlle Marinette. After we get you and your sister sighed in and assigned to your cabins, I’ll have one of our head counselors set up a meeting between you and our other newcomer. Would you like that?” He asked, rising from his desk and turning towards the filing cabinet behind him.

“Yes, please, M. Nooroo,” the little girl whispered, edging out from behind her father a bit. Nooroo paused to shoot her a wink over his shoulder before continuing his search through the filing cabinet. Finally, he produced two folders. One was almost empty, only a sheet with basic information such as date of birth, known allergies, and the like on it. The other was significantly thicker, containing five years of accomplishments at the camp. After a bit of paperwork, the girls were signed in and assigned their cabins. Marinette would be with the seven to eight-year-old girls in the Baby Bug cabin, while Bridgette would be with the nine to twelve-year-old girls in the Junior Bug Cabin.

Tom and Sabine thanked Nooroo and led their girls out the back of the cabin and down the weathered path towards their respective cabins. They dropped Bridgette off first, confident that she would be able to manage by herself, before leading Marinette to her own cabin. Naturally, there were some tears as nerves got the best of the little girl. After all, it was her first time being away from her parents. Eventually, her tears dried and she was finally able to bid her parents a final goodbye. Marinette busied herself after her parents had left with putting her stuff away in the little trunk at the end of her bed, before stuffing her bags under the bed and out of the way. She only left out Coccinelle, her stuffed ladybug, and her sketchbook which she stuffed under her pillow case.

Not long after she had finished putting her stuff away, there was a knock at the door and a red-haired woman with black bangs and white blue eyes swept in. She had a friendly, dimpled smile that immediately drew the young girl in. “You must be Mlle. Marinette. I’m Tikki, Counselor of the Ladybug Cabin. Nooroo told me about you. Are you ready to meet our other newcomer in the seven-year-old division?” Tikki asked with a wink. Marinette nodded shyly, and when Tikki offered her a hand she immediately slipped her smaller hand into the older woman’s grasp. Tikki led her back out of the cabin, back along the beaten path, and down towards the lake where the boy cabins were located. They eventually came across one cabin painted neon green with black paw prints.

“The Black Kitten Cabin,” Tikki explained, rapping quickly on the door. A gruff voice called out, permitting them entrance, and Tikki immediately pulled open the door and held it open for the child. Marinette hesitantly mounted the steps and stepped into the cabin. The interior was almost identical to the Baby Bug Cabin, except for the color scheme. The cabin was vacant save for two people, a man in his mid-twenties much like Tikki and Nooroo, with shaggy black hair and sharp green eyes, and a boy who looked to be Marinette’s age. The boy was sitting on the edge of a bunk, legs kicking idly, head turned down so that his golden hair obscured his eyes. Tikki was undeterred.

“Marinette, this is Plagg. He runs the Black Cat Cabin. And this is Adrien, our other newcomer,” she introduced, gesturing to each in turn. The man eyed her thoughtfully before snorting and turning away, while the little boy didn’t react at all. Marinette shifted awkwardly, looking between Plagg and Tikki before finally gathering her courage and approaching the boy. She offered a shy smile and stuck out a hand as she came to a halt in front of him.

“H-hi, Adrien. I’m Marinette,” she said expectantly. The boy didn’t so much as react to the sound of her voice. His eyes remained downcast, shoulders hunched inward. She shifted, wondering briefly if he hadn’t heard her. So she repeated herself, but again the boy didn’t react. Grunting, Plagg reached over and smacked the blonde across the back of his head with a scowl.

“She’s talkin’ to you, kid,” he scolded, pointedly ignoring the disapproving look Tikki sent his way. After a long moment, the boy finally inched his head up just enough so that his green eyes were visible through the mop of blonde hair. The boy looked at her, and she looked at the boy and neither of them spoke. Marinette wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself, rocking back and forth on her heels. She shot a look over her shoulder at Tikki, who looked as much as a loss as she was.

“Um… it’s okay if your shy. I get shy sometimes too,” Marinette tried, kind of wishing she were anywhere but in that cabin. Surely making friends with the other girls in her cabin had to be easier than this. The boy finally shifted, head inching up a bit more to give her a nervous smile. She relaxed, thinking she had finally broken through and would get an actual response out of the boy… that is until his face screwed up and his eyes widened in horror. The sharp gurgle from his stomach was the only warning she got before the blonde boy pitched forward and vomited all over her shiny new light-up sneakers.

  
  
  


**_Present Day_ **

Marinette Dupain-Cheng groaned, flopping over onto her stomach and staring forlornly out the caravan window. Buildings slipped by in a rapid gray blur, her view fuzzy thanks to the freak summer rainstorm that had decided to hit just as they neared the outskirts of Paris, France. The same rainstorm that they would now have to set up camp in when they arrived at their destination in the next fifteen minutes. It felt like they had been traveling for ages. Master Fu, the leader of their troupe and owner of  _ Le Cirque de Miraculeux _ , had decided to start the season early so although it was only mid-June, they had basically been traveling since the beginning of April. Sure, they stopped frequently in various towns around Europe, but they rarely stayed in any one place for long. Usually, it was a week top before they were packing up and hitting the road once more.

Of course, Marinette loved the life she led. She had been traveling with Master Fu’s circus since she was eighteen, having been hand-selected from the  _ camp de cirque _ graduates alongside her best friend, Alya Cesaire. Of course, her sister Bridgette also worked for Master Fu’s circus, having been snatched up during her own graduation ceremony three years prior to Marinette’s. Traveling with the circus was certainly an exciting lifestyle and the fact that she got to share it with her sister and best friend only made it better. But she really hated the travel time and wished that they would just settle down in one place for more than a week at a time. She wanted to actually have time to explore the cities and towns they stopped in, to play the part of tourist just once. She wanted to have  _ fun _ .

“You’re brooding again,” Bridgette said from her spot on the mini RVs bench seat, jolting the young Dupain-Cheng sister out of her reverie. Scowling, the younger woman rolled onto her stomach from the queen-sized bed she was draped across to glare at her sister.

“I am not  _ brooding _ , Bridgette,” she retorted indignantly. From the bench seat across from Bridgette, Alya spoke up, never once looking up from the Sudoku book in her lap.

“If you aren’t brooding, then you’re sulking, and you need to stop. You’ll get wrinkles,” she teased half-heartedly. Marinette turned her glare on her friend, not that it did much good. A glare wasn’t very effective if it wasn’t even seen.

“I’m not sulking, either! I’m just… wishing that we could stay in one place for a while,” she explained, waving one hand airly before dropping it back to the mattress with a quiet  _ thump _ . From her spot on the bench, Alya finally set aside her Sudoku and adjusted her glasses to frown at her friend.

“Mari, we’re a  _ traveling _ circus. It’s kind of what we do,” she pointed out gently. Bridgette nodded in agreement, frowning at her younger sister in concern.

“You aren’t thinking of leaving the Circus and settling down, are you?” The older Dupain-Cheng asked worriedly. Marinette immediately sat up and shook her head fiercely.

“No! No, of course not.  _ Le Cirque de Miraculeux _ is my home; my family. I honestly couldn’t imagine leaving it all behind. I’m just saying it might be nice to stay someplace for a while,” she explained earnestly. For a moment, Alya and Bridgette both stared at her as if they didn’t quite believe her before they finally offered twin smiles of relief.

“Good, because I can’t exactly do Lucky Ladybug without my partner,” Bridgette said.

“And where would I be without you there to stitch up my costume whenever I tear it?” Alya piped up helpfully. Marinette forced a smile at her best friend and sister, nodding along with their words even as her heart sank. Because the truth was, she had started to consider what life might be like outside of the circus. There was a time when she had wanted to be a world-famous designer, but she had given up that dream to pursue her career with the circus. Now, she had to wonder if she made the right choice. Working for the circus, Marinette never had time to go out and have fun. She didn’t have time to meet people, namely guys, and fall in love. Although she hadn’t admitted it to anyone, even her sister, she did sometimes imagine what it would be like to meet someone and fall in love, get married and settle down, have three kids, a hamster, and a dog. No, scratch the dog. A cat. Cats were nice. She imagined she would quite enjoy curling up on the couch with a book in her hands and a cat purring in her lap, while her husband read the newspaper and their children played before a roaring fireplace.

But she couldn’t tell Alya and Bridgette or really anyone that she considered a friend that because they were all a part of the circus. The circus was life, it was family. You didn’t just  _ leave _ family to go start a new one. Or at least that’s what her troupe-mates believed. Leaving the circus would be viewed as the ultimate betrayal. Bridgette and Alya would never forgive her and she couldn’t bear to disappoint Master Fu. Not after he was kind enough to take the girls in after their parents’ tragic deaths when Marinette was fourteen. He had put the Circus in his faithful Niece Tikki’s capable hands during the school year, taking over during the summer season while Marinette was at camp, for four long years until she graduated. He was like a grandfather to her and if she left, he would be crushed. She couldn’t do that to the kind old man.

Sighing, Marinette rolled back over so that her back was to her sister and friend. They, in turn, resumed their individual activities for the remainder of the drive and that was it. Conversation over. Marinette would remain with her troupe, forcing a happy smile as if all she aspired to be was a circus performer. Because at the end of the day, what else did she really have? Her parents were dead, their bakery sold many years ago. She had no family outside of Bridgette and the troupe, no friends who weren’t affiliated with the circus. And there was definitely no Prince Charming waiting around the corner to whisk her off her feet and offer her an alternative path in life. Or so she thought.

  
  
  


Gabriel Agreste was on a warpath and it was everything his son and heir of  _ Le Cirque de Papillon _ could do to stay out of his way. The young man dashed down the halls of _Le Grand Paris_ Hotel, where he had just settled in after arriving with the troupe the night before. His father was an ostentatious sort and believed himself too good to sleep at the fairgrounds with the rest of the Troupe. As his son, Adrien was apparently too good to sleep at the fairgrounds as well. Which honestly, kind of sucked. The young man would honestly give anything for his father to stop showing favoritism and just let him be. All of his friends got to stay with the rest of the Troupe, where he heard rumors of after-hours bonfires and fabulous parties, especially the night before they tore everything down and moved on to their next location. Adrien had never been permitted to attend one of these parties before; they were unbecoming of an Agreste, according to his father. Bunch of poppycock if you asked Adrien but then, people rarely did.

Turning the corner, Adrien hurried down to the fifth door on the right side. Room 417. Without preamble, he beat against the door with a closed fist until it was finally yanked open by a groggy looking young man with dark skin and ruffled brown hair cropped close to his head. Adrien shoved past the young man without waiting to be invited in and slammed the door behind him. Green eyes wide with panic, he grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him hard, knocking the man’s glasses lopsided with the force of the moments. “Nino, man, you gotta hide me,” he panted, shooting a wild glance back at the door. The darker man blinked, brain still addled with sleep.

“Um, okay? You good, bro?” He asked languidly, flipping the lock and trudging back into his room with only a concerned glance in the direction of his blonde friend. Raking his fingers through his blonde hair, Adrien shook his head.

“I am most definitely  _ not _ good, Nino!” He exclaimed, shoving past his friend and heading towards the window on the far wall. Nino watched with mild curiosity as the blonde peeked out the windows before yanking the heavy drapes shut. Since the lamp hadn’t been turned on, the lack of natural light immediately cast the hotel room in shadows and Nino had to blink rapidly to adjust to the sudden darkness.

“You wanna tell me what’s eatin’ you then?” He asked, watching as the young Agreste heir began to pace rapidly back and forth across the plush beige carpet.

“My dad, Nino. He is driving me  _ crazy _ . Do you know what he proposed? Do you!?” The blonde asked, spinning to face his friend and leveling a finger at the darker man’s chest. He answered before Nino even had a chance to open his mouth. “He proposed that I get an assistant. Not just any assistant either. No, he wants me to work with miss  _ Queen Bee _ herself. Miss I’m-Not-Properly-Trained-But-My-Daddy-Is-Filthy-Rich-So-I-Can-Do-Whatever-The-Hell-I-Want!  _ That _ Queen Bee. I’ll be lucky if I make it through our first practice alive,” the blonde wailed, collapsing to his knees dramatically and throwing his arms around his best friend’s waist. Nino frowned, awkwardly patting the other man’s fluffy blonde hair. He was rather used to his friend’s dramatics. They had been best bros since they were seven, after all, when Adrien had started attending the same summer camp that he had attended. 

To be completely fair, in this Nino couldn’t blame him for being a bit dramatic. Chloe Bourgeois,  _ AKA _ Queen Bee or ‘Queenie’, didn’t start attending camp until she was fourteen. She didn’t have the years of training the boys did, and while they had immediately joined the Papillon troupe after graduation, she had left the world of Circus behind to pursue other interests. The only reason she was pressing the issue now was that Adrien and the Papillon Troupe were in Paris for the first time in over a year and she would do anything to get close to the blonde future millionaire. Even risk her life (and his by default) by insisting she ought to be Chat Noir’s assistant in their upcoming Season. This had ‘bad idea’ written all over it and Nino was honestly shocked that Gabriel Agreste was even considering it. 

“Can’t you just tell your old man ‘no’?” He finally asked, grasping his friend by the shoulders and pushing him back a few inches so he could look him in the eye. Adrien’s expression immediately flattened out at the question.

“When has anyone ever just told my father ‘no’, Nino?” He asked dryly, picking himself up off the floor only to flop dramatically backward onto the plush King sized bed that dominated the room

“Er, that would be three years, four months, three weeks, and two days ago… to be exact,” Nino offered after some thought. Adrien blinked at him blankly, silently prompting his best friend to explain. He did so with a roll of his eyes. “When your old man tried to convince Old Man Fu to give up his Lucky Ladybugs, Adrien. Your father was in a mood for months afterward. At least  _ try _ to keep up,” he sighed, shaking her head. Adrien sat up, rubbing at the stubble along his jaw thoughtfully. Now that Nino mentioned it, he did recall that particular incident. For as long as he could remember, Master Fu and his troupe had been his father’s top rivals. Where Papillon was all finesse and fine-tuned skill, Miraculeux was raw talent. It was fire and passion and stunning creativity.

On that fateful day, his father had decided to scope out the competition and had dragged Adrien along to one of their shows, just to see what all the hype was about. He hadn’t expected to be as awed as the rest of the crowd as he watched the duo that had made  _ Le Cirque de Miraculeux _ famous. The Lucky Ladybugs were an acrobatic duo, clad in red and black skin-tight suits with domino masks hiding their identities. Their act took place high above the ring, lacking the safety net that most acrobatic acts required, and was probably the most daring he had ever had the pleasure of seeing. They were truly inspired, and his father must have agreed because he had offered Master Fu quite a large sum of money in order to procure the act for himself. When that had failed, he had offered the same amount just for the younger of the pair, no doubt in hopes of pairing her up with ‘Chat Noir’. Now there was a woman who knew what she was doing. Adrien would have no problem trusting her during a performance. Alas, Master Fu stood firm, claiming the Lucky Ladybugs were like his own daughters and no sum of money would ever entice him to just hand them over.

Not one to give up, his father had gone to the girls himself to ask them to join his troupe. He had even offered to triple their salary, which would have made them better paid than even Adrien was, but the girls had refused as well using a very similar line to the one Master Fu had used. The troupe was like family to them; they had no interest in leaving that behind. His father had been furious at their refusal and had been impossible to be around for months afterward, less you had a desire to have your head bitten off. Which reminded him…

“That’s why he’s acting like this!” Adrien exclaimed, leaping off the bed and just barely resisting the urge to shout  _ Eureka _ . Nino stared at him owlishly, clearly lost and unsure how to handle his best friend’s wildly shifting mood swings.

“You’ve lost me, bro,” he admitted tiredly, collapsing onto the little love seat that sat across to the bed near the windows.

“Don’t you get it, Nino?  _ Le Cirque de Miraculeux _ is scheduled to be showing on the other side of Paris at the same time as  _ Le Cirque de Papillon _ is! My father is just trying to prove once and for all that Papillon is the better circus by making  _ my _ act into a double act like the Lucky Ladybugs!” He explained excitedly.

“And you’re happy about this  _ because?”  _ Nino asked, still very clearly lost.

“ _ Because _ if I can figure out a  _ different  _ way to prove we’re the better Circus, my dad will drop all this assistant nonsense and I won’t have to worry about dying at the hands of Chloe Bourgeois,” he explained, fairly bouncing in his excitement now. Nino arched a brow, mildly intrigued now that his friend was starting to make sense.

“And how do you propose we do that?” He asked. Adrien grinned a wide, Cheshire grin that reminded Nino strongly of his alter ego, Chat Noir.

“A  _ Bataille des Cirques _ . We’ll find out once and for all who has the better Circus, and dad will get off my back about adding Chloe to the act,” Adrien explained. Slowly, a grin spread across Nino’s face until he looked just as excited as his friend.

“This could actually work, dude,” he breathed. Adrien nodded enthusiastically and turned towards the door of the hotel room with a decisive nod.

“Let’s go! The sooner we find my dad, the sooner we can propose the idea to Master Fu,” he said, practically skipping towards the door now. Nino followed at a more sedate pace, an amused smile in place, but he didn’t question his friend’s excitement. He was rather used to going along with Adrien’s crazy schemes after all, and although this was probably his craziest yet, it also was the most likely to go in their favor. After all, there wasn’t a performer alive who could top the Amazing Chat Noir’s high-flying Magic act. Or so he thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Lemme know what you think! I am actually really excited with how this chapter turned out and that's fairly rare with me and first chapters xD


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